Norris Thornburg

A Look Ahead: NFL Draft First Round

NFL Draft, Prime Cuts with Norris


The NFL draft is less than a week away, and the Carolina Panthers should have a lot of options at pick seven. With the team concentrating on offense in free agency, they will likely look at mostly defense in the draft. They will look at every option available, but there’s no doubt that Carolina has big holes at certain positions on the defensive side of the ball.

There are a lot of ways Carolina could go, and every possible avenue will be exhausted. They could trade back, trade up, or stand pat, and there’s really no wrong strategy. Obviously trading up from seven would cost too much, but everything is on the table. There are a lot of positions from which to choose, and a lot of talent at Carolina’s positions of need.

DEFENSIVE TACKLE

In 2019, Carolina had the fourth worst run defense in the NFL, as teams averaged 143.5 yards rushing against them. There were missed tackles, players in the wrong places, injuries and lack of gap discipline which caused the issues against the run. The Panthers could use a dominant defensive tackle to help against the run, and there are a few in the 2020 draft that could help.

DERRICK BROWN

Brown is the best defensive tackle prospect in the draft. He’s great against the run and as a pass rusher. Brown is quick off the line, especially for a guy his size. He has a bevy of pass rush moves and is rarely contained at the line. He’s a hard worker and a good teammate. Brown exemplifies the type of player that Coach Rhule is looking for. If Brown is there at seven, expect the team to look hard at drafting him.

JAVON KINLAW

Kinlaw is close behind Brown as a defensive tackle prospect. He’s a rocket off the line and has a lot of pass rush moves. He isn’t as mentally sound as Brown, but that can be coached. Some argue that Kinlaw’s upside is higher than Brown. Either way, they can’t go wrong with either player. Carolina could look at trading back a few spots to accumulate more picks, as well as drafting Kinlaw.

The 4 Man Fix Part 4: How to Make the Panthers Great Again

NFL Draft, Prime Cuts with Norris


This is part four of the five part series about how Carolina can become relevant sooner rather than later. Part three was about some free agents that Carolina could look at to fill some open spots on their roster. This article is about some players that need to be targeted in the draft.

This is a very important draft for Matt Rhule and the Carolina Panthers and they need to get these picks right. Marty Hurney hasn’t been very good at getting talent outside of the first round, but it sounds like Rhule, Brady and Snow will have a hand in who Hurney selects. There are sources that believe that Hurney will head to Washington after the draft to be the General Manager, so Rhule and Co. will make sure to pick the right guys. The goal of the draft is to get starters in at least the first three rounds, so that’s what we will cover in this article.

FIRST ROUND


LB Isaiah Simmons – Clemson

Not sure he will be there at pick seven, as his combine probably boosted his value into the top five range. However, if he is there, Carolina should run to the podium with his name on their draft card. He is a position-less player, which means he can play multiple positions well and he’s an insane athlete, and that’s exactly what Rhule is looking for. Simmons is the most versatile player in this draft. At 6’4 and 238 pounds, Simmons ran a 4.39 40 yard dash. There is only one linebacker to run faster than Simmons since the NFL started releasing combine information to the public in 2006. In 2018, Shaquem Griffin ran a 4.38 40, but also weighed 11 less pounds than Simmons.

At Clemson, Simmons didn’t have a certain position, because he played so many different ones. He took 218 snaps at safety, 286 snaps at slot corner, 168 snaps at outside linebacker, 120 snaps at inside linebacker and 17 snaps at outside corner. Simmons also rushed the passer 71 times and had 7 sacks. The former Tiger mentioned that he wants to play weak-side linebacker, which will play right into his athleticism. With Shaq Thompson getting the chance to play middle linebacker, Simmons would thrive on the outside. There’s no way the Panthers can pass up on Simmons at seven if he’s there.


CB Jeff Okudah – Ohio St. 

Like Simmons, it’s not likely that Okudah will make it to pick seven. Okudah is the next big thing out of Corner University (Ohio St.). Okudah has the length and speed that coaches love in corners. He has good ball skills, as he had 3 interceptions last year. Okudah is an outstanding athlete that has quick feet and fluid hips. He can play a variety of coverages, while doing it well. Okudah fits the athletic profile that Matt Rhule is looking for. The Draft Network says that Okudah plays like Jalen Ramsey, which is a really good comparison. Okudah would come into Carolina and take over for James Bradberry, who Carolina is likely letting walk in free agency. The Panthers would have a Pro Bowl caliber corner for at least the next five years with this selection.


OT Mekhi Becton – Louisville

Even though the Panthers just traded for Russell Okung, they will still consider taking a tackle in the draft. Especially since Taylor Moton’s contract is up at the end of this year. Becton is 6’7 and 369 pounds with only 17% body fat. He can do everything you’d want a left tackle to do, and do it well. Becton shows good footwork, drive and awareness in pass sets. He has powerful hands and uses them well. At 6’7, he has a wingspan of over 7 feet. He’s strong, powerful and faster than someone his size should be. His wide frame allows him to eat up a lot of space. It’s almost like this kid was built in the same lab as Cam Newton. Becton was born to play left tackle and he’s going to maul edge rushers for years to come.


DT Derrick Brown – Auburn

Some people fell off the Brown train after his combine performance, which is unfortunate. When looking at a player, you watch the film and look at his potential. Brown’s film was really good. He is one of the best all-around defensive linemen prospects in a long time. Brown is so powerful when rushing the passer or stopping the run. He has a bevy of pass rush moves and counters. The Auburn standout has a high motor and is extremely competitive. His hands are powerful and precise, and can toss blockers aside with ease. Brown has incredible bend and flexibility for a player his size. He will crush you if you run at him. Brown would anchor this defensive line for a long time. He is going to be a dominant force for whoever picks him. Judging by how bad Carolina’s run defense was last year, he should probably be the pick at seven.

Honorable Mentions: Jerry Jeudy, Ceedee Lamb, Andrew Thomas, Javon Kinlaw, Tristan Wirfs

The 4 Man Fix Part 3: How to Make the Panthers Great Again

Prime Cuts with Norris


This is part three of a series that talks about how the Panthers can become relevant again sooner, rather than later. Part two discussed the Panthers’ own free agents and who to re-sign. Part three is about potential free agent targets for Carolina. All of this could change, as some of these players will be re-signed by their current teams. 

Wide Receiver

Carolina may need to add another receiver to the offense for Cam, or whoever is running the offense. It would benefit the team to have another receiving threat, and there are a few good ones from which to choose. 


Robby Anderson

6’3 190 lbs

Anderson played for Matt Rhule at Temple and has mentioned that he would like to play for him again. Anderson runs a 4.34 40 yard dash and seems to be able to get separation fairly consistently. He could be a great addition to the Panthers, depending on the salary. 


Breshad Perriman

6’2 209 lbs

Perriman came into his own last year in Tampa Bay. Granted, some of that could be contributed to Jameis Winston throwing 50 times per game. Perriman could be an under-the-radar signing that may help Carolina win some games. Perriman runs a 4.25 40 and finally looked like the receiver that Baltimore thought he’d be in 2015. Imagine CMC, Moore, Samuel, Perriman in Joe Brady’s offense with a healthy Cam Newton.

Guard

Carolina may need a new left guard if Van Roten gets signed elsewhere. Dennis Daley will get his shot at guard, as will Chris Reed, but the Panthers will need another potential starter. They may draft one, but there are options in free agency. 

Joe Thuney

6’5  287 lbs

With Brandon Scherff out of reach due to a potential high salary, Joe Thuney should get a look from Carolina in free agency. At 27 years old, Thuney is one of the best young guards in the NFL. He’s a product of NC State and was drafted by the New England Patriots in 2016. In 2019, Pro Football Focus graded him at 77.4. He’s been about as consistent a player can be and is worth a look if Carolina wants to fill that position. 

4 Man Mocks 1.0: Norris (Pre-Combine)

4 Man Mocks, NFL Draft


Over the course of the next few weeks, there will be a lot of visits from college prospects for the Carolina Panthers. This is the time of year where we get ramped up for the draft, so we will be doing some mock drafts based on information we are given about visits. This is a pre-combine mock draft, which is based on the little knowledge that we have at this point. Enjoy.

Round One: DL Derrick Brown

Auburn
6’5 318 lbs

Derrick Brown was a five-star athlete out of high school and continued his stellar play in college. He amassed 31.5 tackles for a loss and 11.5 sacks in his last three years at Auburn. If you watch his tape, he has all of the things you look for in a player. He has the high motor and urgency in pass rush and is relentless in run defense. Carolina needs all of the run support they can get, as they allowed a whopping 143.5 yards per game (4th worst in the NFL). Brown has a variety of pass rush moves and uses them in the right situations. He has some of the most powerful hands in this draft and uses them to his advantage. He has incredible speed and flexibility for a big man. His play strength is amazing and he won’t be overpowered by many at the next level.

One thing we know about Matt Rhule is, he likes building the trenches first. He also likes highly athletic players and uses sports science to determine an athlete’s fit. Brown is an absolute stud and would be a day one impact player that fits Rhule’s athletic profile. Rhule also says he likes position-less players, meaning players that can play multiple positions and not pegged at just one. Brown has played every position on the line, from 0 tech to 5 tech. That’s exactly the type of player Rhule is looking for. He’s the perfect player to pair next to Kawann Short, especially since the team is unlikely to pick up Dontari Poe’s option. Brown is a leader on and off the field. Brown isn’t a sexy pick, but he’s a necessary one.

Round Two: CB Cameron Dantzler

Mississippi St.
6’2 185 lbs

Even if Carolina somehow re-signs James Bradberry, they’re going to need another corner on the outside. Donte Jackson seems to be more suited as a slot corner. Dantzler is an athletic corner who would fit in a variety of schemes. He was considered a shut-down corner in the SEC and rarely gave up yards while in coverage. Dantzler has the length and speed that all coaches desire in their corners. He plays with a competitive edge and has great route anticipation. Dantzler had 5 interceptions in three years, but that’s mainly because quarterbacks didn’t throw his way often.

Dantzler’s versatility and athleticism make him a perfect candidate to be drafted by Matt Rhule. We don’t know much about Phil Snow’s defensive scheme, but we do know he needs another corner no matter what. Dantzler has a multi-scheme skill set that makes him the perfect piece for the Panthers’ defense. He may need to add a little weight to his tall frame, which is his only downside.

Round Three: IOL Robert Hunt

Louisiana
6’5 336 lbs

With Greg Van Roten possibly leaving the team via free agency, Carolina could be in the market for a new left guard. Hunt was a four-year starter in college and has experience at both tackle and guard. He’s a nasty run blocker and is pretty mobile for a guy his size. He has strong hands and overwhelming power. Hunt is an aggressive blocker who possesses traits to be an outstanding guard. Matt Rhule is a trenches guy who loves building teams from the inside out. Hunt has the athletic attributes and high football IQ that would be perfect for the Panthers’ offense.

Round Four: DE Alton Robinson

Syracuse
6’3 259 lbs

It’s round four, and you’re seeing a pattern with this draft. Carolina has drafted defense and trenches, which is where they need the most help. This pick isn’t any different. With the Panthers only having Brian Burns, Christian Miller and Marquis Haynes under contract, they could use another edge defender in the mix. Robinson is a good run defender who has a variety of pass rushing moves. He has a high motor and is very explosive. He’s very versatile and can play 4-3 defensive end and 3-4 linebacker. Robinson needs to be a little more consistent, but he’s a good prospect to get in the fourth round.

Round Five: DL Jordan Elliott

Missouri
6’4 315 lbs

Carolina is once again double dipping at defensive tackle with this pick. Elliott is good in run support and has potential to be a starter, with proper coaching. He’s inconsistent and has some mental lapses at times and needs to be coached up. However, he does have some upside. Elliott has a lot of room to grow, but he’s gotten progressively better over the years. With proper coaching, he could be a valuable rotational piece in Carolina’s defense.

Round Six: S Julian Blackmon

Utah
6’1 204 lbs

Carolina needs a safety they can develop into a starter that can take over for Reid in the next season or two. Blackmon is an excellent tackler who also has good ball skills. He isn’t great in coverage right now, but he can be coached. Blackmon has decent play speed and is very competitive. He needs some work, but he has potential, which is all you can ask for with a sixth round pick.

Round Seven: WR Binjimen Victor

Ohio St.
6’4 199 lbs

For a seventh round pick, you’re just hoping for the best. Victor runs good routes and high points the ball. He has strong hands and good play speed. He’s not overly strong, but gives good effort when blocking. He could be a decent possession receiver with good length.

Thanks for taking the time to read these mocks. This will likely change each time based on combine results and team interest. Let us know what you think.

The 4 Man Fix Part 2: How to Make the Panthers Great Again

Prime Cuts with Norris


This series is about how to bring the Panthers back to relevance sooner, rather than later. In part one, you learned about some of the cuts that should be coming, to help the Panthers gain some salary cap space. In part two, I will give my opinion on who Carolina should re-sign and who they should let walk.

Players to Re-sign

Tre Boston

Boston has done nothing but prove himself as a capable safety for the last four years. At 27 years old, he has yet to sign that second long term deal, and he deserves some stabilty. He has been nickel and dimed by a league that doesn’t place a lot of value on the safety position. In 2019, Boston had 68 tackles, 11 passes defended and 3 interceptions. He has become one of the best coverage safeties in the league, and Pro Football Focus gave him a grade of 76.4 for the year. That’s the fourth best grade for the entire team, behind McCaffrey, Kuechly and Moore. It’s Boston’s time for a deal that locks him up for a few years.

Potential contract: 3 years – $19.5m

Ross Cockrell

Cockrell was signed in 2018, but didn’t get to play until last season. He broke two bones in his leg and was put the entire 18-19 season. Depending on what type of defense the Panthers will run, Cockrell could be a solid target to re-sign. He is two years removed from being the number one zone corner in the league. In 2017, he allowed a QB rating of 13.8 and a completion percentage of 35% while being targeted in zone coverage. At 28 years old, Cockrell will be 100% healthy and a solid candidate to re-sign. The Panthers may want to sign him to a one year deal for depth at a position that may be a little thin, depending on whether or not the team re-signs Bradberry.

Potential contract: 1 year – $3.5m

Javien Elliott

Elliott played fairly well in his first year as a Panther. Pro Football Focus grades him at 67.2, which was best among Panthers’ corners and second best in the Panthers’ secondary behind Tre Boston. Elliott played 34% of the defensive snaps and had 38 tackles, 2 pass break-ups, 1 interception and a half of a sack. He’s a versatile corner who played primarily at nickel in 2019. Depending on whether or not the team re-signs Bradberry, Elliott could be in line to see even more playing time. Either way, Carolina could use Elliott as depth.

Potential Contract: 2 years – $3.5m

Gerald McCoy

Even though the Panthers’ defensive unit underwhelmed last season, Gerald McCoy played fairly well. Pro Football Focus gave McCoy a grade of 72, which was second highest on the defensive line. McCoy is versatile enough to play both inside and outside, which will provide Phil Snow a solid player to move around the line. Luke Kuechly’s retirement left the Panthers needing some leadership on the defensive side of the ball. McCoy has the experience to be a leader, and that’s something this team needs right now. It would benefit Carolina to bring him back, that is, if he wants to. McCoy wanted to go to a contender, and he may feel like Carolina isn’t the right fit anymore.

Potential Contract: 2 years – $17m

Greg Van Roten

Van Roten was one of the most consistent offensive linemen that the Panthers had in 2019, until he got injured. While he might be looking for a lot more money in free agency, it would be in Carolina’s best interest to see if he wants to stick around. Quality depth on the offensive line is a must, no matter who is playing quarterback. GVR got a grade of 65.6 from Pro Football Focus, which is well above average.

Potential Contract: 2 years – $6m

Bruce Irvin

This one might make little sense to a lot of people, but the Panthers could use some more depth on the edge. Irvin played pretty well last season, when he finally got healthy. Also, his leadership could go a long way for this team. Especially, if the Carolina fails to bring back Gerald McCoy. The Panthers could let both walk this year so that they can add compensatory picks for next year, which is understandable. Personally, it might be best to bring both back on one year deals to help out all of these youngsters on the defense.

Potential Contract: 1 year – $4m

Who Carolina Should Let Walk

Daryl Williams

Everyone would agree that Williams is far removed from his All-Pro year. He was a liability on the offensive line all year, no matter what position he was playing. The Panthers shouldn’t waste their money.

Vernon Butler

Vern showed some flashes last season, but ultimately didn’t impress enough to waste money on him. As the 30th pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, he was supposed to be a solid starter by now. It’s time for him to go, but best of luck to him.

Mario Addison

Mario has been really good in Carolina for awhile, but it’s time for a change. At 32 years old, he won’t be able to play at a high level for much longer. Nothing against Mario, but it’s a fact of life. With Addison going elsewhere, it gives Brian Burns an opportunity to start and showcase his skills. It honestly makes no sense for a team in a rebuild to sign a player like Addison.

Chris Hogan

Stacy McGee

Kyle Love

James Bradberry

This one won’t be popular with some fans…..The Panthers and Bradberry seem to be at an impasse in negotiations. Not to say a deal won’t get done before the new league year begins, but it’s not looking good.

Rumors are swirling that Bradberry wants north of $14m per year, but paying him that amount makes little sense. He has been very good during his time in Carolina, but he hasn’t played his way into top corner pay.

In regards to Bradberry’s market value, there are some things to consider:

Positives

• Travels with the number one receivers most of the time.

• Had 11 pass break-ups in 2019, which was good enough for 8th best.

• Only allowed 1 touchdown in 2019 and had 3 interceptions, which was good enough for 6th best.

• He allowed a passer rating of 86.6, which was good enough for 10th best.

• He only allowed 10.4 yards per reception, which was good enough for 11th best. 

Negatives

• He isn’t a ball hawk. 8 interceptions over four years isn’t jaw dropping. 

• He allowed 68 catches (70th best) for 709 yards (54th best) in 2019. 

• His Pro Football Focus grade for 2019 was 59.8, which is actually the worse grade of his career. PFF isn’t always the holy grail of grading systems, but it helps with the evaluation. 

• 63.6% completion rate when targeted, which is 44th best.

• Doesn’t have adequate closing speed to catch up if he gets burned.

Bradberry has the skill set, length and talent to be a number one corner, but he hasn’t played his way into top five corner pay. He doesn’t deserve the $14m salary that he’s rumored to be wanting. If Carolina can get him to accept a $9m-$10m salary, (which I think is the sweet spot for a player of his caliber) they should re-sign him. If not, the Panthers should probably let him walk.

If he walks, the Panthers could net between a third and fourth round compensatory pick in 2021, depending on his salary, playing time and other variables in the formula. A third round compensatory pick would be good draft capital to move up and take the quarterback of the future. That is, unless the team decides to keep Cam Newton. 

These are just moves that I feel will help the franchise moving forward. Paying Bradberry what he wants could prove to be detrimental to the building of a winner. It makes little sense to pay him that much money when the team has so many holes. To be honest, he’s not worth $14m. He’s still capable of being a starter in this league, but it can’t be for more than around $10m per year.

Thanks for taking the time to read this series and be on the lookout for part three. Part three will look at a few free agents that the Panthers could look at to bring them back to relevance in 2020. Also be on the lookout for our pre-Combine 4 Man Mock Drafts. #KeepPounding

The 4 Man Fix Part 1: How to Make the Panthers Great Again

Prime Cuts with Norris

This has been a rough offseason for Carolina Panthers’ fans, filled with ups and downs. They’ve had to endure tons of speculation about the future of Cam Newton in Carolina, since week two. The hiring of Coach Matt Rhule made things a little better, after a five win season. There has been a lot of talk about a complete rebuild and that it might take a couple of years to become a contender.

Panthers’ fans then had some huge news, as word broke that they intended to sign Joe Brady for their open offensive coordinator spot. Brady had just helped LSU win the National Championship, as their passing coordinator. The happiness was short lived, as later that day Luke Kuechly announced his retirement from the NFL. This news catapulted Panther Nation into a state of depression.

Less than a month later, Greg Olsen and the Panthers announced that they had mutually parted ways. Fans are still having to hear about Cam being the answer for every team in the NFL except the Panthers. So yes, it’s definitely been a tough start to the offseason.

So that raises the question, what happens now? It’s hard to tell exactly what the team will do this offseason, but there are a lot of things that the team could do to become relevant again this year. We are going to start this five part series with some players who should be salary cap casualties.

Salary Cap Dumps

The Panthers currently have around $32 million in salary cap space. That’s not a lot when compared to the holes on the team. There are a few players that could be cut in order to gain more cap space.

Dontari Poe

Poe has a club option in his contract that the Panthers are unlikely to pick up. Poe’s cap hit is $13,145,834 with a dead cap of $3,333,334. Declining his option would add $9,812,500 to the salary cap. Yes, that would make another hole on the roster, but at this point Poe hasn’t played up to his salary. That $9.8 million could go a long way in free agency. In the past, teams could decline a player option and get a compensatory pick the following year, but the NFL changed that rule. It’s unclear if Poe’s contract was grandfathered in, as the rule was changed after Poe signed with Carolina.

If Carolina did get a compensatory pick for Poe, it could net as high as a fourth rounder, depending on his next salary, playing time and other things included in the formula. Also, there have been some questions about whether the team can decline an option on an injured player. The answer is yes, they can decline an option without paying an injury settlement. Although, certain circumstances can warrant a $1.2m injury settlement. (Thank you Nick Korte of Over The Cap for this information)

Jarius Wright

Mr. Third Down underperformed this year, although some of that could be contributed to lackluster quarterback play. Like Poe, Wright has a club option that the team will likely decline. With the team being in a rebuild, they need all the money that they can get. Wright’s cap hit is $3,666,668 with a dead cap of $666,668. The Panthers will gain $3,000,000 in cap space with declining Wright’s option. This is an easy decision.

Mike Davis

Davis was claimed off waivers in 2019, but did nothing to impress fans. Granted, he didn’t get any opportunities to do so. If Carolina cuts Davis, they would get $3,000,000 in cap space with no dead money. The Panthers need all of the help they can get.

If the team makes these three cuts, they will gain $15,812,500 in extra cap space. That will take the total to approximately $48,020,165 in salary cap space for the 2020 offseason. Keep in mind, the salary cap total hasn’t been established yet, but the number will be between $196.8m-$201.2m. The total used in this article is $199m, which is the estimate by Spotrac.

Side note: Carolina currently has $27.3m in dead cap space, and they’ll add more with the declined options of Poe and Wright. However, all of the current dead cap will fall off next year.

Stay tuned for Part 2, which will go into detail about players who deserve to be re-signed, and one who doesn’t. Also, with the combine coming up in less than two weeks, keep checking our college prospect visit list for more updates. We are just getting started. #KeepPounding